Page:Ballantyne--The Coral Island.djvu/221

 schooner; but, when I saw that the crew amounted to between thirty and forty men, I concluded that this boat was held in reserve, in case of any accident compelling the crew to desert the vessel.

As I have before said, the costumes of the men were similar to that of the captain. But in headgear they differed not only from him but from each other, some Wearing the ordinary straw hat of the merchant service, while others wore cloth caps and red worsted nightcaps. I observed that all their arms were sent below; the captain only retaining his cutlass and a single pistol in the folds of his shawl. Although the captain was the tallest and most powerful man in the ship, he did not strikingly excel many of his men in this respect, and the: only difference that an ordinary observer would have noticed was, a certain degree of open candor, straightforward daring, in the bold, ferocious expression of his face, which rendered him Jess repulsive than his low-browed associates, but did not by any means induce the belief that he was a hero. I his look was, however, the indication of that spirit which gave him the preëminence among the crew of desperadoes who called him captain. He was a lion-like villain; totally devoid of personal fear, and utterly reckless of consequences, and therefore a terror to his men,-who individually hated him, but unitedly felt it to be their advantage to have him at their head.

But my thoughts soon reverted to the dear companions whom I had left on shore, and as I turned towards the Coral Island, which was now far away to leeward, I sighed deeply, and the tears rolled slowly down my cheeks as I thought that I might never see them more.